Stringed musical instrument



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. SNOWMAN.

-STRINGBD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

- No. 568,376. Patented Sept. 29, 1896.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. SNOWMAN. y STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 568,376. PatentedSept. 29, 1896.

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H. SN'OWMAN.

STRINGBD MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

166.566,676. Patented s616629, 1696-.

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HERMAN SNOVVMAN, OF IVIARLBOROUGII, NEV YGRK.

sTRlNci-:D MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming' part 0f Letters Patent NO. 568,376, Clatecl September 29, 1896.

Application filed September 6, 1894; Serial No. 522,282. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN SNOWMAN, of Marlborough, in the county of Ulster and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in stringed musical instruments', and is more especially adapted for use in that class of instruments of which the cithern and autoharps are types, the objects of the invention being to enable harmonics or harmonic chords to be struck with great precision and automatically upon the depression of a lingerpiece or key and without the necessity of damping out those strings which it is not desir-ed to sound, the effect being as though the strings had been sounded with the iin ger-tips.

A further object of the invention is to enable the harmonic chords in any key to be struck without the necessity of duplicating the finger-pieces for each key.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views showing one movement. Figs. 3, 4,' 5, 6, 7, and 8 are similar views of other or modified forms of movement. Fig. 9 shows another move ment, and Fig. 10 an adaptation of the same to a single pick. Figs. 2, 4a, G, 8a, 9:, and 10a are sectional views through the respective figures indicated. Fig. 11 is a top plan View, partially broken away, of a portion of the top of an instrument, showing the application of one of the movements. Fig. l2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. Il, and Fig. 13 is a section through the same. Fig. let is adetail view of the guideway and guide shown in Fig. 10.

Like letters of reference in the several Iigures denote the same parts.

IIeretofore in this class of instruments, where a series of strings or a harmonic chord was to be struck, it has been usual either to damp out those strings not included in the chord and sweep a pick or the lingers across the whole set of strings, or else the strings were picked either individually by independan instrument wherein by the movement'of a finger-piece an accord may be sounded or the strings for an accord picked and the picks automatically returned to normal position without again touching the strings. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways, and the picking maybe done by the pressure of the fingers, or the picks may be springlimpelled and released by a finger-pressure.

In said drawings, in the form of mechanism illustrated in Fig. l thepicks are spring-impelled and for this purpose are mounted in a carrier-bar A, supported by slot-bearings on pins a, so as to slide longitudinally within a vertically-movable key-bar B, preferably hinged at one end on a springfhinge C. The carrier A, therefore, hasv an independent longitudinal movement and avertical movement in unison with the key-bar, and by reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that a spring c is arranged at its rear end and tends to hold it at the forward YeXtreme of its movement, but such movement is prevented by a spring-catch E on the carriercoperating with a projection E on the key-bar. Beneath the catch is arranged a trip preferably in the form of a transverse bar or rod E2, which when the keybar is depressed will come in contact with the lower side of the catch, causing it to rise and re leasing it, so as to allow the carrier to advance under the influence of its aforesaid spring, causing the pick-points a to strike the appropriate strings and sound an accord, there being one pick on the carrier for each string of the chord sounded by the depression of that key-bar. To return the carrier to normal position as the'key-bar rises, I provide an incline D at the forward end of the carriers, and the ends ofthe carriers, striking these inclines, are moved back until the catch again engages, but the key-bar will have-risen sufficiently to prevent the picks from engag ing the strings. Should the spring-hingebe insufficient to raise the key-bar and return ICO the carrier against the tension oi' its own spring, a second or supplemental spring D may be employed under the 'forward ends of said bars. In this iirst form I have shown the picks arranged above the strings A2 and in the remaining forms, to be new described, below said strings, but it will be understood that with slight and immaterial inechanical changes any of the forms may be placed either above or below the strings.

In Figs. 3, 4, and et ahorizontal sliding bar F is provided and adapted to be moved by a bell-crank F and linger-piece F2, this being a convenient structure enabling the direct vertical movement of the linger-piece to impart a horizontal movement to the bar. A spring f3 serves t-o move the bar back tenormal position and to elevate the linger-piece when pressure thereon is relieved. Above this horizontal sliding bar and connected thereto by parallel links g is the carrier A for the picks t, which carrier is held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by the springg', but is capable of movinglongitudinally with the bar F and of swinging on the links, so as to raise the points into position to engage the strings. 'lhus when the key is depressed, if the carrier is held against longitudinal moven'ientwhile the bar advances it is obvious that the carrier will be raised, and by providing a stopf on the bar to engage the carrier when elevated the picks will be caused to engage and snap past the strings to the position shown in Fig. Al, when the spring g may be allowed to assert itself and the carrier turned down on the links to normal position.

Instead of the links, inclined slot-bearings ll,Figs. 7, S, and S, and pins 71 workingtherein, may be employed, and various mechanisms may be employed to iirst hold the carrier against longitudii'ial movement and after a chord is sounded, but before the bar begins .its `return movement, allow said. carrier to move downward to normal position. As shown in said Figs. 3 and it, t'or instance, the carrier may be provided with a spring-catch K, which engages a notch or shoulder and is adapted to be released by a shoulder or projection 7.a on the bell-crank lever just as the latter reaches the extreme of its movement, as shownin Fig. at, allowing the spring g to assert itsell", as just stated.

The spring-catch K should not only have a tendency to automatically rengage its shoulder or projection as the parts resume the position shown in Fig. 3, but should also be capable ot being extended slightly, as shown in Fig. Ll.

In Figs. '7 and S a somewhat analogous arrangement is shown, that is to say, the construction ot the bar and carrier and lingerpiece is similar, but the carrier in this instance is provided with a tooth or projection L, adapted to normally cooperate with a spring-catch l of greater strength than its spring g and having an inclined forward edge Z, adapted to cooperate with a stationary stop Zi2 when moved forward, preferably formed bythe inturned odge ol the casing If'.

In operation the parts are normally in the position shown in Fig. 7, and when the bar F is advanced the carrier is first elevated, being held bythe spring-catch until the stopf" comes .in contact with it and advances it until the pick-points a are past the strings, the spring-catch meanwhile advancing with the carrier and also being elevated by the inclino Z and stop Z2 until a point is reached where the catch is thrown out of engagement, as shown in Fig. 8, and at once returns toits normal position, as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 8, andthe carrier settles down toits normal position. Then when the bar is allowed to return the spring-catch will ride over the tooth on the carrier andthe parts will resume the position shown in Fig. 7.

In Figs. 5 and G the carrier A is provided on the under side with two inclined surfaces M and a relatively deep and steep wall recess M', in proximity thereto. Normally the carrier, as shown in Fig. 5, is held in retracted position by the spring and is supported upon small rollers N, working in slot-bearings N and occupying the rear ends of the slots, the inclines M resting thereon when the carrier is in this position. The carrier is advanced by a bell-crank, which in this instance is preferably connected thereto by a pin-andslot bearing O, and has a linger-piece O mounted directly thereon, and in advancing, the rollers being at the ends of their slotbearing, the carrier will be elevated by reason oi the inclines M, and just as the end ol' the inclines are reached, or the carrier has .resumed its highest position, the pick-points will snap past the strings and a slight i'urther movement of the carrier will carry it into position tor the rollers to drop into the recesses M', and, there being less resistance to the forward movement ot' lthe rollers in their s'l.otbearings,tl1e carrier will travel back on the rollers with the pick-points below the level ot' the strings until said points pass the strings, at which moment the rollers will have reached the forward ends of their slotbea-rings and their movement arrested, but the carrier continues to move until it again .reaches the position shown in Fig. 5, ready to be again advanced to sound an accord.

The sequence of movements desired can also be secured by guiding the carrier by means ot' journals or pins, such as I), Figs. .l, il", and lO, in suitable ways, which, as the carrier advances, will elevate it, and as it returns will depress it or cause it to maintain a lower level.

For convenience of illustration I have shown a simple guide or race way P in a parallel bar P2, said guide or 'race way having the upper portion curved up properly tor the pin-bearings to ride therein and move the carrier into position for the picks to strike IOO IIO

the strings, said guideway then dropping down and returning on a substantial level with the starting-point.

Any ordinary form of pawl or guide may be employed to cause the pin to travel up the guideway, and I have shown a simple leafspring p for attaining this end.

Fig. 10 shows a single pick on a carrier formed of a length of wire or equivalent guided in bearings p2 on the iiXed bar P2. These pick movements are preferably arranged side by side or, more properly, in an instrument a series of pick movements of the same kind are arranged side by side, with a suitable housing to cover the ends and present a neat and finished appearance. Thus in Figs. Il, 12, and 13 it will be seen that the movement shown in Figs. 7 and S is mounted in a rectangular frame R, preferably pivoted at one end on trunnions fr, working in slots or guides s in bridges S, secured to the body of the instrument in any approved manner and extending transversely of the strings. The frame R may thus be shifted transversely of the strings to bring the pick-points into different positions with relation to the strings, thereby enabling accords in different keys to be sounded without the necessity of providing a great number of picks. In order to accurately position the frame R, it is provided with a lateral projection T at the forward end, adapted to enter one or the other of a series of V-shaped notches t in one of the bridges S.

In adapting movements shown in Figs. 7 and 8 for use in a frame above the strings it will be observed that the bar F is guided so as to travel in a horizontal endwise direction by means of guide-pins U, and the pick-carrier A has the inclinedl slots II therein inclined in an opposite direction from those shown in said Figs. 7 and 8. With this arrangement, when the bar F is advanced the carrier held against longitudinal movement by the yielding spring-catch Z will be moved downward until stop f comes in contact therewith and gives it an endwise movement to pick the strings and release the catch Z by contacting with the fixed stop l. In this last adaptation it will also be noted that the nger-piece is in the form of a bell-crank lever corresponding to the bell-crank levers F', and instead of bearing against the end of the bar bears against a small projection or lug F4 on the side of the same, thus enabling me to locate the iinger-pieces over the bars instead of at the ends of the same.

\Vith an instrument constructed in accordance with this invention it will be seen that harmonic chords may be sounded by the simple depression of a finger-piece, and that without being accompanied by the snapping and disagreeable sounds which emanate from the damp strings in an ordinary instrument. By providing a shifting frame for the pick-carriers harmonic accords in any of the several keys may be sounded with a minimum number of iinger-pieces and accord-bars or pickcarriers.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new isl. The combination in a musical instrument having a series of strings, of a finger-piece or key, a pick-carrier moved transversely of said strings in one direction by said nger-piece, mechanism for elevating said carrier, to bring the picks in line with the strings, means for lowering the pick-carrier, and the spring for returning the carrier to first position, substantially as described.

2. In a stringed instrument, thel combination with the series of strings, of a pick-carrier movable lengthwise transversely of the strings, a holder for preventing the said movement, a pick-carrier support for moving the carrier toward the strings while so held and a release device for the carrier; substantially as described.

3. In a stringed instrument, the combination with the series of strings, of the pickcarrier movable lengthwise transversely of the strings, a catch for holding the same against longitudinal movement, a pick-carrier-supporting bar connected with the carrier by elevating connections and having a limited longitudinal movement independent of the carrier for elevating the carrier and a release device for the catch, whereby when the bar is moved the picks are elevated, moved transversely of the strings and the support released to allow of the return of the parts Without striking the strings; substantially as described.

4. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination with the series of strings, of the pick-carrier movable lengthwise transversely of the strings, a catch for holding the same against longitudinal movement, a pick-carrier-supporting bar connected with the carrier by elevating connections and having a limited longitudinal movement independent of the carrier for elevating the latter and a IOC IIO

fixed stop with which the catch engages when v the carrier is moved longitudinally and whereby the catch is released; substantially as described.

5. In a stringed instrument, the combination with the series of strings, of the pickcarrier movable lengthwise transversely of the strings and a spring-pressed catch for resisting the longitudinal movement of the same, an elevating-bar supportingsaid carrier and having a limited independent longitudinal movement, a finger-piece cooperating with said barfor moving the same longitudinally and a stop with which the catch coperates to release the carrier when moved longitudinally; substantially as described.

G. In a musical instrument, the combination with the series of strings and pick-carrier movable 4lengthwise transversely o f the strings and toward and from the strings, a supporting-bar having inclined bearings on which the carrier is supported, a iingerpiece for moving the bar and a trip-catch for holding the carrier until elevated by the movement of thc bar and then releasing thc carrier to cause it to assume its normal position with relation to the bar; substantially as described.

7. In a musical instrument, the combination with the series of strings, of the pickcarrier movable lengthwise transversely of the strings and toward and from the strings, a longitudinally-movablc bar having inclined bearings in which the carrier is supported and a stop with which the carrier comes in contact and whereby the bar and carrier are given a simultaneous longitudinal movement, a spring catch or retainer for holding the carrier in contact with the stop and a trip or release with which said catch copcrates to release the carrier and permit it to resume its normal position with relation to the bar substantially as described.

S. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination with the series of strings and pick-carrier movable lengthwise transversely ol the strings, and toward and from the strings, of the supporting-bar having the inclined bearings in which the carrier is snpported and a stop for cooperating with the carrier and giving it a movement in unison with the bar throughout a portion of the movement of the latter, springs for holding the carrier and bar in normal position, a

yielding catch cooperating with the carrier to hold it in contact with the stop on the bar during the forward movement ol the latter, a trip or release stop with which the catch cooperates to release the carrier l'or the rcturn movement and a finger-piece coperating with the bar to move the same longitudinally; substantially as described.

t). In a stringed musical instrument, the combina-tion with the series of strings, ol' gnidcways arranged transversely ol' the strings, a frame pivoted in said guideways and a series of pick-carriers mounted in said frame to move endwise transversely ot' the strings and a series of fniger-pieccs for moving said piek-carriers; substantially as dcscribed.

lO. In a musical instrument, the combina tion with the series of strings and guideways arranged transversely of said strings, of thc frame pivoted in said guideways, the gage projection and corresponding recess for positioning the .frame7 the series ot pick-carriers mounted in the trame and movable endwise transversely ot' the strings, the series ot finger-pieces pivot-ally connected with the frame and adapted to move the pick-carriers; substantially as described.

HERMAN SNOWMAN. lVitnesses:

ALEX. S'rnUliI-rr, Tiros. DUnAN'r. 

